1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to liners for nurser bottles. More particularly, the present invention relates to liners that are resealable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Breast milk is a valuable source of nutrition for infants. It contains carbohydrates, proteins, fats, enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and hormones that infants require. It also contains valuable antibodies that can help infants resist infections. Many nutrients found in milk can deteriorate depending on storage conditions and length of storage time. For example, nutrients, such as fats/lipids and vitamins, can degrade when exposed to oxygen and/or light. Milk can turn rancid when lipids degrade as a result of oxidative deterioration, or lipid peroxidation. This produces a foul, offensive odor. Some vitamins degrade when exposed to light and/or oxygen. This deterioration of nutrients leads to decreased nutritional value, decreased freshness, and decreases the benefits of feeding the infant breast milk.
Disposable liners for containing breast milk are used with rigid holders to provide a clean, sanitary container for each use, instead of reusable bottles, which require regular washing. Resealable closure members have been incorporated laterally or horizontally across such liners. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,576,278 to Sprehe, a nurser liner is shown having a continuous, elongated, profiled reclosable fastener disposed laterally across the periphery of the top portion of the enclosure area. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,251 to Dunn, a nurser liner is shown having a sealing member made up of cooperating projection members that are disposed laterally across the periphery of the top portion of the enclosure area.
Such liners suffer from the drawback of allowing degradation of the breast milk due to oxygen or UV rays. The oxygen or UV transmission can occur because the contemporary bags do not provide proper air-tight sealing mechanisms, and also fail to adequately prevent oxygen and UV transmission through the bag itself. Accordingly, there is a need for a breast milk storage bag, which reduces or eliminates degradation of the breast milk due to oxygen or UV rays.